Grief and Loss Counseling in Lanham, MD.

Robyn Brickel and Brickel & Associates as a practice, treat grief and loss from a trauma-informed, systems model of care, as they treat all mental health issues. Understanding that people process grief differently and that losses can trigger other feelings, we aim to provide a safe space for clients to have their emotions held and witnessed by another and help hold themselves with compassion and kindness as they work through the stages of grief.

Losing someone or something you love is profoundly painful. One of the greatest myths we hear is that “time heals all wounds.” In reality, time often deepens the ache unless we give ourselves permission to grieve. Healing requires space to mourn, honor what has been lost, and gently begin to carry it in a new way. It is my privilege to walk alongside clients as they move through grief toward healing, meaning, and peace.

As much as any of us might wish grief and loss weren't a part of life, if we can integrate them into who you become, we really do grow to a better version of ourselves. The pain of grief isn't something to "get over," and the messages we sometimes get from others to do it can lead to withdrawal, more pain, and more feelings of loss. Working through your grief isn't about "closure" -- trying to close the door on your sadness and loss doesn't serve you. But with support, you can find your way forward to growth, joy, and a fuller life.

When someone matters to us it is as if there are hollow tubes that are connected to our hearts. Traversing these tubes are our needs. The more important the person is to us the more tubes there are that connect our hearts. When we loose someone it is as if the tubes are axed off at the other end; our needs still reach out but now there is no one there to meet them, and that is painful. Grief work consists of plucking out these tubes, one-by-one, from our heart. It takes both time (e.g., across seasons, special occasions, memories) and the avoidance of practices that don't work (e.g., trying to tape the tubes onto someone else, getting drunk). I've helped many with this so feel free to call.

Loss is inevitable. It is the flip side of love and the greatest pain we know. Hearts can break and hearts can heal. We must first accept ALL feelings. We can cultivate gratitude for the gifts our loved one gave us. Sometimes it is also important to acknowledge and learn from the mistakes of the one we have lost., the ways they may have caused pain to themselves and others. If the person has been a large part of our daily living, it is as if we need to recreate our lives bringing new resources into the emptiness. The waves of extreme pain become less frequent with time. The person's memory remains with us, and their gifts to us can inspire those very strengths in ourselves.